Squeezing superfluid from a stone: Coupling superfluidity and elasticity in a supersolid

Abstract

In this work we start from the assumption that normal solid to supersolid (NS-SS) phase transition is continuous, and develop a phenomenological Landau theory of the transition in which superfluidity is coupled to the elasticity of the crystalline ${}^4$He lattice. We find that the elasticity does not affect the universal properties of the superfluid transition, so that in an unstressed crystal the well-known $\lambda$-anomaly in the heat capacity of the superfluid transition should also appear at the NS-SS transition. We also find that the onset of supersolidity leads to anomalies in the elastic constants near the transition; conversely, inhomogeneous strains in the lattice can induce local variations of the superfluid transition temperature, leading to a broadened transition.

4 pages

References in corpus (6)

• On the Supersolid State of Matter
• Ring exchanges and the supersolid phase of 4He
• Superfluid Interfaces in Quantum Solids
• Bose Einstein Condensation in solid 4He
• Classical rotational inertia of solid helium 4
• Superflow in Solid 4He

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• Solid 4He and the Supersolid Phase: from Theoretical Speculation to the Discovery of a New State of Matter? A Review of the Past and Present Status of Research
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